Ombudsman braced for 21,000 lawyer complaints next year

The number of complaints about lawyers coming in to the legal ombudsman has continued to rocket in the first half of this year. The Legal Ombudsman’s Office said today the rise was ‘not sustainable’ and predicted the service would need to be transformed to deal with such a surge in reports.

In the first six months of the year, LeO received more than 8,700 complaints. Demand in the first quarter was 31% higher than in the equivalent period last year; in the second quarter it was 43% higher. Poor communication and delay accounted for around 45% of the complaint types accepted in both the first and second quarters. Around one in four clients said they had not received a final response from their legal services provider before approaching LeO.

The ombudsman expects to receive around 18,000 cases this year and more than 21,000 in 2027/28. By March 2027, LeO will be managing around 12,260 open cases across the whole service in total, of which approximately 9,612 will be awaiting progression at different stages.

The complaints handler is resolving more cases: 2,327 in the first quarter and 2,551 in the second, increases of 15% and 26% respectively, year-on-year. Almost two-thirds were concluded through early resolution and did not require an in-depth investigation.

But concerns remain about the number of reports and the ombudsman's capacity to handle them all. Next week, the Office for Legal Complaints, which oversees the ombudsman, will consult on a new three-year strategy and business plan, which could result in a call for increased contributions from the legal profession which funds it.

In a post to mark the first half of the year, chief ombudsman Phil Cain and OLC chair Ric Blakeway did not refer to funding issues but reflected on a ‘period of considerable change’ for the ombudsman. ‘Demand for its service has continued to rise sharply,' the said. 'At the same time, LeO has resolved more complaints, changed how work moves through the service, and laid the foundations for more fundamental reform.

‘This feels like an important point to take stock: to be open about where LeO stands, recognise the progress being made, and explain how we are approaching the challenges ahead.’

Over the summer, the OLC consulted on changes to the scheme's rules, case fees and publication of final decisions. Cain and Blakeway said they remain committed to these changes but that they had also ‘listened carefully’ to consultation responses. No timeframe has been announced for implementing the proposals.